Alex the Parrot: No Ordinary Bird

Alex the Parrot: No Ordinary Bird is an informational children's text written by Stephanie Sinner and illustrated by Meilo So.  The story was published in 2012 and tells the true story of a thirty year education experiment

on an African grey parrot by the name of Alex.  Irene Pepperberg bought Alex when he was merely one year old and had the intention to prove to the world that birds were highly intelligent. Over the course of many years, Irene is able to teach Alex common phrases so that is intelligence is equivalent to that of three and four year olds.  Although she recieved much opposition from the public in regards to proving that birds are highly intelligent animals, the story takes readers on a journey to understand how smart they truly are.  This story is unique in the fact that it is a children's picture book but it is broken up into five separate chapters.  Each chapter heading gives readers a clue about what is ahead of them in the story.  For example, chapter two is entitled "Testing, Testing" and it tells about the dozens of tests Alex had to undergo to prove his intelligence.  By breaking this book into separate chapters, it serves as a great introduction for students who are beginning to read chapter books.  The short chapters help readers differentiate between various points in the story and the chapters can also be used as a resource for rereading to find important information.  The front flap of this story also serves a great resource for readers as it offers an introduction to the story line and the importance of Alex the parrot.  Readers should be encouraged to read the front flap before opening the book to begin reading as they will be supplied with sufficient background information regarding the life of Alex.  The text also includes very vivid illustrations that aid in reader comprehension. By paying close attention to the illustrations within the story, the reader will begin to feel like they are right there with Alex in order to understand how important he was in the establishment of studying the intelligence of animals.